If I had a second truck I was going to most likely do it but with the time that my truck would of been down along with fabing mounts it was just too much for me. I say if you dont mind your truck being down and having to do some work then go for it. If you do end up doing it take lots of pics.

 

semi trucks are usually only 300-400 horsepower, but with about 1000 ft/lb of torque. my best friend's dad's semi is a freightliner with a detroit diesel 390 horsepower, but it has like 1200 ft./lb or torque.
I bet that small cummins has like 3-400 ft./lb of torque.

 

I'm from concord but I'm living in washington now. That's bout 20min north of hillsbrough since I know no ones heard of it lol


Well if I do a motor swap it will make it a better truck. It will be a work truck (towing and hauling ect) o a trail rig. Toruqe is my best friend in either case. I'm more concerned bout the difficulty of the swap and the availibility of the help and parts for that motor. If not the 4BT than what then? Keeping in mind I want diseil magic

 

i saw a thread of I6 6.1L cummins swaped into a CC 4x4 and he made it look like it came that way from the factory

what the sad part was that he was selling it for 35,000 dollars and had over 4 times that invested into it to get the desired HP numberrs he wanted when he first started the project...it was nice thought...there was a pic of him smoking all 4 wheels for about 30 feet...AND the tires were 37x13x17

 

Wow there is some bad info here. I hope to do a 4BTA swap someday...they're way cool, fairly common, and have a lot of online support. 4btaswaps.com.

1) "Only 120HP" is not a big deal. The legendary 6BT in the big Dodges was introduced with 160. They are 100% mechanical engines, meaning they only require a grounding wire to run. The fuel system can be tuned with common tools to increase the power and torque very nicely, for $0. I can't quote from experience, but 200 HP and 300+ ft-lb are not unreasonable at all.

2) The most common source is aluminum "bread vans" by Grumman or similar. Often they were mated to Chevy transmissions that could barely withstand the torque and tough driving conditions. There is an online auction house that sells alot of them, I can't remember the name. There are adaptors for all sorts of transmissions, but an NV4500 from an HD Dodge would be a nice match, and avoid issues with transmission control. A well built hydraulic control or electronic self-controlled Chevy 700R is common as well.

Some lucky guys get a deal on a van, scrap the aluminum, and with today's prices, pay for the majority or total cost of the van.

A new/rebuilt 4BTA is often upwards of $5000, and some are not road-worthy. Some are designed as standalone power plants, and lack the proper throttle control, governing, and exhaust to be a vehicle engine.

3) The motors are big and heavy. The 6BT weighs over half a ton wet (not kidding), and the 4BT shares its architecture minus 2 cylinders. Probably weighs as much as a big block V8. The Dakota's reputation for front suspension and steering strength is pretty bad, so keep that in mind.

A Dakota wouldn't be my first choice; an old Ford or Chevy fullsize would be alot easier to beef up and work in/around. But I know there are examples of 4BT Jeeps, Rangers, Comanches, Durangos, Suburbans, and 1500 Rams. They're all bitchin. YouTube it. By the time you find the parts, if they exist, to make a truly strong Dak front end, you might be better off finding an engineless but mechanically sound fullsize, for which strong suspension parts are sold.

I can't believe some guy sunk $120,000 into a 4BT swap. That's asinine.

4btswaps.com

 

Personally I think it would be awesome!

And if you havent already found it, this is an awesome thread that should help you out a lot.

http://www.na4wda.org/index.php/topic,1593.0.html

This guy put the 4BTA in a 1st gen dak. lots of pics very detailed.

Good luck and i cant wait to see how it turns out if you do it!

 

or.. you could wait until i do the DIY.
since i've been planning the swap for the last year....
aint nobody supposed to know though.....

gonna do it after the suspensions been done

 

OK thanks for the info and opinions everyone! Im not 100% sure what Im gonna do now. If I can get a 4BTA for cheap then Im all over it but if Its gonna be like thousands for the motor alone then I may "settle" for the 5.9 swap instead, just for the cost. Varsis made it sound like his swap was simple and cheap. Tho with the SAS hes working on Im sure he knows a hell of a lot more than me!

Im not looking for 1000000hp but I cant imagine that its worse than my 3.9, it could prolly tow/haul more than mine anyways. Like I said (or tried to, I was on my phone at work HOORAY for DF on the go!) my truck is going to be a trail rif or a work truck. Im thinking diesel is the way to go for either. But I also dont want my kota off the road for years and years...

Now where the hell am I going to find one of these bread trucks for sale!?! Im sure my parents would have a stroke if they saw that as my 4th vehicle being towed up the drive.... LoL

 

i know of one for sale....

 

The site that most 4BT fans seem to flock to is called dovebid.com. They do lot-style auctions of all sorts of stuff, and of particular interest, retired Frito Lay trucks. Every few months a couple dozen trucks will come up. Alot have Chevy 350/700R combos, but a few magical ones have the 4BT. It's a bit of a process to get one, and then you have to get it home, but it seems to be the source. Or just keep your eye out locally...you never know.